Don’t do it, Jesse. Don’t you dare do it.
“Three,” he murmurs.
“Three?” Theo looks around the room. “Three what?”
“Two,” Jesse goes on.
Wine. I need more wine.You push me to drink, Jesse.Ironic. There aren’t enough vineyards in France and Italy combined with enough supplies for me right now.
“One.”
“Anyone know what the fuck he’s talking about?” Ty naturally looks at me for an explanation. “Boss?”
Give me strength. I stand, needing a presence. “I put those words in your mouth, Jesse Ward. You don’t get to use the countdown on me.And, to be clear, it won’t have the same effect.”
“Are you saying you’re immune?”
“No one’s immune to you, Jesse,” I breathe, exhausted.
“Correct.” He huffs. “Zer?—”
“Fuck off!” I yell, my patience gone.
Every man, including Jesse, sucks in air, practically draining it of oxygen.
“Oh, you’ve done it now,” Jude chuckles, but it’s wary. “Don’t piss her off. She put me in a high-speed car accident and gave me a life-long limp.”
“A limp?” James reaches for the bottom of his T-shirt and pulls it up. “Try being burned alive.”
Guilt gets me, and it gets me good. There’s no denying it, I’ve let my imagination get the better of me in one way or another for each and every one of my alphas. But I also gave them eacha happy ever after with the woman of their dreams. And if any of them throw the“You made me like this”card, I might scream. Throw things. I know what I’ve done, and in this moment, I’m seriously regretting it.
I peek at Danny. His scar glows, and I flinch away from it.
“Look, guys, it’s Christmas Eve.” I place my wine down. “I just finished a book. I wanted to unwind with a glass of wine and decorate my tree, not deal with all your alpha egos.”
“You know who you have to thank for that,” Miller muses quietly, almost too quietly to hear.Almost. All eyes are suddenly on Jesse.
“What the fuck is the countdown?” Becker asks.
“Oh,” Jesse grins, smug. “It’s this thing I do to get my way.”
“The countdown,” Danny rolls the idea around. Then pulls the drawer open and retrieves his gun. “I think this is way more efficient.”
“No, no, you’ve got the wrong end of the . . .” Jesse shakes his head, giving up. “Never mind. Are you saying I should put a gun to Jodi’s head?”
My eyes widen, and I look at Danny with an expression that dares him. And he catches it, stowing away his weapon. “Of course not.”
“Right answer,” I grate. “Look, this is all getting a little out of hand.”
“Did you expect anything less?” Jake asks.
“Back to the new alpha.” Ty is suddenly interested. “On a level of one to obscene, how alpha are we talking?”
“An alpha isn’t measured by dominance and ego.” I’m so fucking exhausted.
“Correct.” Dec backs me up.
“Sometimes the most alpha man in the room is the one who says nothing.” I go to the table and scan my beautiful baubles.
